Spring Creek Park Neighborhood

Spring Creek neighborhood is located on the South East part of Colorado Springs. This area is neighborhood is developed as a Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND). It focuses on a small town feel where the neighbors can sit on their porches and the children can play on the playgrounds safely. A TND is served by a network of paths, streets and lanes suitable for pedestrians as well as vehicles. This provides residents the option of walking, biking or driving to places within their neighborhood. By doing this it brings back the old fashion neighborhood feel. The neighbors who live in Spring Creek like it because it is dog friendly, peaceful, well maintained, has great scenery and welcoming. The houses in this neighborhood range from the 150’s to the mid to low 300’s.

To view available listings in this neighborhood please click the following link: Spring Creek

Serenity Park Neighborhood

Serenity Park neighborhood is located on the North side of Colorado Springs just East of I-25. The views from this neighborhood are amazing. With the Air Force Academy right across of the highway and Pikes Peak mountain range right behind that. Serenity Park is located within the school district 20 area. This neighborhood is located close to the Club at Flying Horse as well as the Shops at Briargate. This is a great neighborhood to live in!

To view available listings in this neighborhood please click the following link: Serenity Park

Please give me a call or email me if you know of anyone that might want to buy or sell ANYWHERE in the world. I will take great care of them or find a top agent in another part of the country or world to help them. Thank you in advance for your referral!

Jeremy Wynia

Please give me a call or email me if you know of anyone that might want to buy or sell ANYWHERE in the world. I will take great care of them or find a top agent in another part of the country or world to help them. Thank you in advance for your referral!

When selling a home or property, one of the main goals of the seller is to get the highest offer possible. If the market is hot, the chance of getting a high offer is relatively high. If the market is on the cooler side, many sellers look to alternative options to make their properties more marketable, usually by way of a remodel, a renovation or by updating the property. But what is the difference between a remodel and a renovation? Is an update something that’s easy or difficult?

While there are no doubt projects that see better return on investment than others, homeowners have a number of options when it comes to boosting their property’s value. If you’re not particularly ready to put your property on the real estate market, but are looking for ways to help boost your home’s overall value, an update, a renovation or a remodel might be just what you’re looking for at the current time.

Updates

Want to help boost your home’s value but have a limited budget for projects? Updates are a great option for the homeowner that has limited resources, funds or even time. But what’s an update? An update essentially brings new life to your property, and perhaps brings things up-to-date, but it does so without significant alterations to the existing structure or property. Updates that are common in many households are updating light fixtures, installing new appliances, updating the home to be more energy efficient, updating exterior paint or changing interior colors, etc.

Depending on your budget, updates shouldn’t break the bank, but they can help to boost a property’s value or overall marketability. Buyers like seeing updates, especially when they help boost the overall appearance of the home. Updates are a great and relatively convenient way of sprucing up a home without dedicating a huge amount of time and money to projects, and even minor updates can help boost a property’s overall value. Even just repainting the exterior trim can make a big difference.

Renovations

Renovation means to restore to a good condition or make new again. Renovating a property or a part of a property refreshes and revives it. Renovating can cover a number of different things: renovating plumbing or electrical throughout a home or property, refinishing hardwood floors, re-facing kitchen cabinets, adding modern finishes and fixtures to an older home. Renovating a property generally means that you’re making the property meet current market expectations. Renovations, especially of certain rooms, can make spaces much more attractive to buyers but also add considerable value. Kitchens are one of the best options for a renovation when it comes to overall return on investment.

If you’re looking to help boost the overall value of your property, adding stainless steel appliances to a kitchen (or even updating to newer appliances), putting in granite or other stone counter tops, changing outdated cabinet doors and hardware can all help boost a property’s value and catch a potential buyer’s eye. Depending on the number of projects you’d like to tackle, renovations can be relatively quick or take time and cost a few dollars. Again, your budget and time frame will determine the scope of your project, but renovations can add considerable value to your property and provide a large return on investment when it comes time to sell.

Remodels

Remodels require a little more time, labor and funding, and more often than not remodels involve removing or moving walls, building additions or anything that includes significant structural changes to increase utility or appeal via replacement or expansion. A remodel changes the use of a space by altering the structure and the style of a home. Popular remodels include kitchens, bathrooms and even going so far as to add additional square feet to the entire house. Because of how extensive a remodel can be, it’s always suggested that permits are obtained for the work and that an architect and/or contractor is used to make sure any work is done according to current local building codes.

Remodels that help improve a space can increase a property’s value immensely, and in some hot real estate markets could even see a 100 percent return on investment. Some of the most popular remodels home buyers seek: kitchens, bathrooms, and additional square footage (adding rooms) as they show the homeowners invested in the property and took the time to improve it for the future.

Updating a home or property, or choosing to renovate or remodel, is a big decision and ultimately depends on how much time, effort, money and sweat a seller wants to put into the task. But if you’re on the fence of whether or not your property could fetch the highest selling price in today’s market, considering an update, a renovation or a remodel might be the best solution at the current time to get your property to the top of every buyer’s list.

Please give me a call or email me if you know of anyone that might want to buy or sell ANYWHERE in the world. I will take great care of them or find a top agent in another part of the country or world to help them. Thank you in advance for your referral!

If you have a big pile of cash lying around then you can just skip this post and move on the part of the real estate transaction where we find you the house you are looking for.

If you are like most of the population you do not have a couple hundred thousand dollars that you can spend to buy a house. If that is the case, than you will almost certainly need to get a loan for the purchase of your next house. This really should be the place that you start the process. With lending in its current state this will likely be the most difficult part of the process.

First let’s talk about why you should start your home buying process by finding a good lender and getting pre-approved for your loan. You should either shop around for a good lender. You can also talk with a professional like myself who can make suggestions based on years of experience dealing with lenders and already has a good understanding of who can get the job done.

Some things to consider. Does the lender know the way that your local market works? The US is a huge country and every state has its own real estate laws and practices. As a general rule big banks and nation wide lenders do not do as good a job. This does not mean that big companies don’t do a good job. It does mean that you want a lender that you can stop in and visit in their office. If you are using an internet lender that promises great prices but there is no one you can go in and get mad at if they are making a mistake, how can you pressure them to pick up the ball if they have “dropped” it? Saving a few bucks has no value in my book if they can not get you to the closing table. If you do not get to the closing table and you lose your earnest money in the process then what have you really saved. NOTHING! You have lost money and may have to start over.

Many nation wide lenders do not understand that Colorado is an at table state and all of our dates and deadlines are hard and fast. They will often have little to no motivation to make sure that things are completed by the dates and deadlines set forth in the contract because they just don’t understand the process.

The other big reason to start with lending and pre-approval is that it sets the groundwork for the home finding process. If you think that you can borrow $300,000 and you start looking at houses that cost that much and then, when you meet with a lender and find out that you can only borrow $200,000 every house you look at in that price range will be a HUGE disappointment to you. It can be very discouraging. Also, with lending in its current format you may find that you can not borrow what you expect you can afford. Underwriting has changed a great deal and it can be very tricky.

If you have been thinking about buying a home please start with lending and please contact me if you would like help making the process as easy as it can be!

Pleasant Valley Neighborhood

The Pleasant Valley neighborhood is located on the Colorado Springs west side. It is a desirable neighborhood to live in and currently has about 9,864 residents. Pleasant Valley is where the Red Rocks Canyon open space and the Fountain Creek Campground are located. Both of these attractions have great views and attract people who are hiking or traveling. The residences in Pleasant Valley love the fact that it is quiet, dog friendly, peaceful and family friendly. The housing prices range form the mid 100’s to the mid 500’s.

To view available listings in this neighborhood please click the following link: Pleasant Valley

Please give me a call or email me if you know of anyone that might want to buy or sell ANYWHERE in the world. I will take great care of them or find a top agent in another part of the country or world to help them. Thank you in advance for your referral!

Colorado Springs Downtown Neighborhood

Colorado Springs Downtown neighborhood is just under 3 square miles.It has a small town feel with big amenities. Being close to work, parks, food and entertainment it is easy to see the draw that downtown brings. There is about 7,300 people who live in this area. There are 2 major parks downtown, Acacia and America the Beautiful. Both parks often have activities going on and play areas for children. The Colorado Pioneers Museum and the Fine Arts Center are always a great place to tour if you are looking for something to do. Downtown Colorado Springs is also filled with plenty of shopping and dining. There is an abundance of things to do here.

Please give me a call or email me if you know of anyone that might want to buy or sell ANYWHERE in the world. I will take great care of them or find a top agent in another part of the country or world to help them. Thank you in advance for your referral!

Security and Widefield Neighborhoods in Colorado Springs

Security and Widefield are neighborhoods located in southern Colorado Springs. They are fairly small and often referred to together. As of 2010 the population in these areas was 32,882. This population grew by 10% since 2000. The cost of living is 4% lower than the national average. The average resident is 33.8 years old. The main interests and hobbies of the residents in these neighborhoods are family, friends, camping, hiking, and reading. Security and Widefield have a community center with a pool, splash pad, and a library. There are several classes held at the community center for individuals and families to keep busy with. There are several shops and restaurants close by.

To view homes for sale in these neighborhoods, click the following link: SecurityWidefield

Jeremy Wynia

Please give me a call or email me if you know of anyone that might want to buy or sell ANYWHERE in the world. I will take great care of them or find a top agent in another part of the country or world to help them. Thank you in advance for your referral!

When buying or selling a home, many have heard of an appraisal and a home inspection. While both are very important to the entire transaction, an appraisal and home inspection are two very different things. If you’re looking at buying a new home or property, or you’re interested in selling your current property, it is beneficial for both parties to know the difference between the two and why they are important.

What is a home appraisal?

A home appraisal is an educated guess as to the worth of a property.

An appraisal is required by a financial institution; if you’re looking to get a mortgage loan, the property will have to have an appraisal. If a mortgage loan is not needed (the buyer is paying with cash), then an appraisal is not required for the purchase. Who pays for the appraisal? As part of the final contract, the appraisal can be negotiated between the buyer and the seller, but traditionally the buyer pays for the appraisal.

But why is an appraisal needed?

An appraisal lets the bank or lender know what the loan collateral will be set at for a worst-case scenario situation. What does this mean? The bank wants the home to appraise for a similar amount they are going to loan to the buyer. Should anything happen, and the bank has to sell the home, the bank doesn’t want to be stuck with a home that had a million-dollar loan on it but can only be sold for $100,000.

Appraisals are important, but they can be a tad stressful. The appraisal is done after the sale price is negotiated and the contract has been signed, which is why many people hope the appraisal is close to the sale price negotiated by the buyer and seller. To protect the transaction for both sides, the buyer and seller should have a sales-and-purchase agreement that addresses the possibility of the appraisal being below the purchase price. This would allow the buyer to terminate the contract or renegotiate the sale price. If not, the buyer could be obligated to cover the difference between the purchase price and the appraisal.

What does an appraiser do?

The appraiser will walk around the property and look at the value of the home, but she or he will also make note of any problems or issues. It has happened that an appraiser has pointed out things to be fixed in order for an appraisal to come back higher. Appraisers mainly look to check the main characteristics of the house: square footage, bedrooms and bathrooms, the overall condition of the property, recently sold comparable properties in the area and any noticeable health or safety issues. Appraisals are not an in and out thing – they can take up to a couple days to complete, and loan underwriters can request more information than in previous years. As a seller, the number one thing you can do to help the appraisal process is to make sure the house or property is in good order.

While an appraisal determines the value of the property based on an inspection done for the loan company, an appraisal is not a home inspection. The appraisal is for the mortgage lender; the home inspection is primarily for the buyer.

What is a home inspection?

A home inspection is the inspection of the physical condition of a home or property. A home inspector is going to look for defects or malfunctions in the property’s structure, systems and physical components (which can be anything from the roof and plumbing to the HVAC system, floors, windows and foundation). A home inspection generally takes place after the seller and buyer have signed the contract. The home inspection can help guide any repairs that might need to be done to the property, or it can alter the final selling price if major repairs need to be done to the property. But it’s important to remember that a home inspection is not a mandatory part of buying a property. Sellers can sell their properties “As Is,” and any home inspection done will simply be a way for the buyer to know what to expect once they receive the keys.

Who is responsible for the home inspection?

The buyer generally arranges and schedules the inspection; your agent or Realtor will most likely be able to suggest a home inspector she or he has worked with in the past, but it’s important to make sure the inspector has experience and is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors. But the most crucial part of the home inspection is to provide a thorough and tough inspection of the property to the buyer.

When buying or selling a home, it’s important to know and be aware of all that is available to buyers and sellers. While the appraisal is done for the benefit of the lender, the appraisal also benefits both the buyer and seller by determining a value on the property. The home inspection is done for the benefit of the buyer, but it’s also a good indication for the seller about the property and any issues that might need to be addressed should the buyer drop out of the transaction. Both an appraisal and home inspection are valuable and important parts of a property transaction.